The BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) is a Canadian provincial nonprofit organization based in Westbank, British Columbia.
Organization
The BCFNJC is represented in the Indigenous Advisory Group of the Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations, for which it received $62,300 from the Department of Justice Canada.[1][2] It is also a member of the Justice COVID-19 Response Group,[3] and a project partner of Pro Bono Students Canada.[4]
Personnel
| Name | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas White | Chair[5] | Provincial Advisory Committee for Indigenous and Specialized Courts and Related Initiatives, Snuneymuxw First Nation, Indigenous Bar Association (IBA), Mandell Pinder, First Nations Summit (FNS), First Nations Leadership Council, Centre for Pre-Confederation Treaties and Reconciliation |
| Rosalie Yazzie | Vice-Chair and Director[5:1] | Nesika Law, Okanagan Indian Band, Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch, Syilx Okanagan Nation, Law Society of British Columbia, British Columbia Assembly of First Nations |
| Annita McPhee | Director[5:2] | First Nations Summit (FNS), British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, Tahltan Central Council, Legal Aid BC, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, BC Hydro, Minister's Advisory Council on Indigenous Women (MACIW), Annita McPhee Strategies |
| Boyd Peters | Director[5:3] | Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, Sts'ailes, Kwikwèxwelhp Healing Village |
| Kory Wilson | Director[5:4] | Law Society of British Columbia, Genome British Columbia, Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, The Laurier Institution, Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific, Museum of Vancouver, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), New Relationship Trust, Living Oceans Society, Eagles of Tomorrow |
| Gaelene Askeland | Executive Director[6] | Access to Justice BC |
| Curtis Bedwell | Senior Policy Analyst[6:1] | - |
| Renzo Caron | Provincial Director, Indigenous Justice Centre[6:2] | Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, Government of British Columbia, Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Legal Aid BC |
| Sam Ens | Provincial Manager, Diversion and Early Intervention[6:3] | - |
| Mitch Walker | Director, Gladue Services[6:4] | Okanagan College |
| Anisa White | Provincial Director, Gladue Services Department[7] | Firestone Policy Group, Lake Babine Nation, Cross-Jurisdictional Technical Advisory Group |
Funding
The BCFNJC has received funding from:[8]
- Department of Justice Canada[2:1]
- Government of British Columbia
- Government of Canada
- Law Foundation of British Columbia
External links
Terms of Reference - Indigenous Advisory Group. (2023, October 24). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20231120040325/https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/Terms-of-Reference-for-the-Indigenous-Advisory-Group-Mandat-du-groupe-consultatif-autochone-eng.html ↩︎
Search Government Contracts over $10,000. Government of Canada. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://search.open.canada.ca/contracts/?sort=contract_date+desc&search_text=Action+Committee+on+Court+Operations&page=1 ↩︎ ↩︎
Ministry of Attorney General. (2020, April 24). Provincial justice system advisory groups established. BC Gov News. https://web.archive.org/web/20230929215201/https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020ag0032-000747 ↩︎
Annual Report. Pro Bono Students Canada. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://www.probonostudents.ca/annual-report ↩︎
Meet the Council. BC First Nations Justice Council. Retrieved December 3, 2020, from https://web.archive.org/web/20201203201056/https://bcfnjc.com/meet-the-council/# ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Meet Our Staff. BC First Nations Justice Council. Retrieved December 3, 2020, from https://web.archive.org/web/20201203205814/https://bcfnjc.com/meet-our-staff/# ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Meet Our Staff. BC First Nations Justice Council. Retrieved May 23, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20240523014412/https://bcfnjc.com/meet-our-staff/ ↩︎
White, D. Annual Report 2021-2022 (p. 25). BC First Nations Justice Council. Retrieved March 16, 2025, from https://bcfnjc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/BCFirstNationsJusticeCouncil_AnnualReport_2021-2022.pdf ↩︎
